A right step in democracy - LalooNew Delhi - Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and former Bihar Chief
Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is here to thank President K R Narayanan for
rejecting the recommendation of the Union Cabinet to dismiss the Rabri
Devi Government in Bihar. He told reporters that the decision of the President
was not only a right step in democracy but it was the victory of the people
who were opposed to the `undemocratic imposition’ Article 356 on the States.
He said the peaceful struggle for peace, and development would continue
and his party would put up a struggle against conservative forces, price
rise, adulteration and division of Bihar.

Chautala warns against scrapping Article 356Chandigarh - All India National Lok Dal today threw its weight
behind Article 356 of the Constitution to prevent `balkanisation’ of the
country. If the Article 356 was scrapped, India would break up like the
erstwhile Soviet Union, Haryana Lok Dal opposition leader Om Prakash Chautala
warned here. Talking to newsmen, the former Chief Minister, however,
said his party was against misuse of the Article to achieve political mileage.
"If the Article is removed, the political process will freeze in the State
as is happening in Haryana,’’ he cautioned. Supporting the Article, the
opposition leader said the framers of the Indian Constitution had incorporated
this provision deliberately. "Otherwise we would have witnessed a
lot of chaos,’’ claimed Mr Chautala whose party is supporting the BJP-led
Government at the Centre.

Thakre meets JayalalithaMadras - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Kushabhau Thakre
called on All-India Anna DMK (AIADMK) general secretary J Jayalalitha and
discussed the political situation in the country. Thakre, after holding
discussions with her for about 35 minutes at her Poes Garden residence,
told newsmen that the meeting was very cordial and he was very happy. Thakre
was meeting Jayalalitha for the first time after he succeeded L K
Advani as the BJP president. He said the AIADMK’s demand for the
dismissal of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Government did not figure
in the discussions. Replying to a question, he said the AIADMK’s support
to the BJP- led coalition Government continued.

ULFA leader shot deadGuwahati - The surrender process of the United Liberation Front
of Assam (ULFA) received a serious jolt when the ULFA militants assassinated
its main architect Rishiraj Sinha last night in the outskirt of the Guwahati
city. The controversial leader was the brain behind the recent surrender
of more than 190 ULFA militants to the Army, official sources confirmed.
Last night as he was driving off in his Maruti van, Rishiraj Sinha alias
Anjan Jyoti Gogoi, was fired upon by the motorcycle-borne ULFA militants
with automatic weapons. He died on the spot. Sinha had openly fought with
ULFA chairman Aurobindo Rajkhowa. Criticising the ULFA’s policy through
newspaper, he had moved closer to the Army to facilitate the surrender
of the militants. Sinha had opposed a number of policies of the organisation
and was the only one to attack the leadership through newspapers.

Badal wants Article 356 scrappedMoga - Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said
his party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, would continue its campaign to scrap
Article 356 of the Constitution. "This Article for dismissing a democratically-elected
Government need to be removed so that it is not misused,’’ he told reporters
at the nearby Dina Sahib. Asked to comment on the Centre’s attempt to the
invoke Article in Bihar, he said: "my party’s stand has been vindicated.’’

Sikhs must become amritdhari - TohraPatiala - Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee [SGPC]desires
that its members and their families should be "baptised Sikhs" by April
next year for the success of the tercentenary celebrations of the birth
of Khalsa. It also appeals to the members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
including its office-bearers, ministers, MLAs and members of their families
to undergo initiation ceremony of the Khalsa and make real contribution
to the celebrations. SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra said that earlier
he had made a verbal appeal to the members of the religious and political
organisations of the Sikhs and given a call to that effect in public rallies,
but now the SGPC had decided to write to every member to become baptised
Sikhs along with their families. Members of other religions were excluded,
he clarified. This call for administering amrit (consecrated water given
to drink for Khalsa initiation ceremony) is the latest announcement by
the SGPC in its run-up to 300th anniversary celebrations of birth of Khalsa.
Already, work is in progress for projects like construction of memorials
and museum about Sikh history, the tallest Nishan Sahib, wildlife sanctuary
parks and welcome gates at Anandpur Sahib, desire for becoming "Amritdhari"
was aired by many leaders in their speeches. But, so far, there was no
written call from the SGPC. Tohra also disclosed that not only the members
of the ‘SGPC’ and the ‘Akali Dal [Badal]’ but all heads of state or district
boards, corporations and committees, who were Sikhs would also be urged
to become "Amritdharis". Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
would also direct its staff on the launching of Amrit Sanchar programmes,
"Kirtan Darbars", Dhadi darbars and organise Dastar Bandi (turban tying)
competitions in their respective areas. The SGPC is writing these letters
as many Sikh youths were clipping hair and few were following the Sikh
"maryada". Even family members of many leaders and ministers were not adhering
to the tradition, it was reliably learnt. Tohra said that the SGPC was
equally worried about the increase in drug addiction among youths, particularly
the Sikhs.

September
28, 1998

Minorities Commission condemns rape of nunsNew Delhi - India’s National Commission for Minorities has strongly
condemned the alleged rape of four nuns at Bhandaria village in Jharva
district of Madhya Pradesh on September 23. "Such ghastly crimes are a
disgrace for the nation and make us hang our heads in shame,’’ said NCM
chairman Tahir Mahmood in a press statement. Professor Mahmood added that
the NCM did receive a complaint by fax in this regard from a prominent
all- India Christian organisation. "Finding it to be a case of wild abuse
of basic human rights and militancy against women’s right to modesty, rather
than violation of minority rights, I forwarded it with a request for immediate
action to the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission
for Women,’’ Professor Mahmood said. The Madhya Pradesh Government "must
move into swift action treating this case as a test for its genuine commitment
to protection of humanitarian values and human rights,’’ the NCM chairman
said.

Advani justifies Cabinet resolution on BiharJaipur - Indian Union Home Minister L K Advani justified the
Cabinet recommendation for dismissal of the Rabri Devi Government in Bihar,
saying that Bihar was a model of the worst sort of government. Inaugurating
the BJP State unit’s political convention here today, Mr Advani said the
Cabinet decided not to press the matter in order to respect the President’s
will. Mr Advani said the non-BJP parties rallied behind the Rabri Devi
Government merely to oppose the BJP. He said the party would initiate a
national debate on Article 356. The BJP had been strictly against misuse
of Article 356. However, after a thorough consideration, the party felt
that Bihar was an absolutely fit case for invoking the Article. Referring
to the Congress, he said the party which had resolved not to support or
encourage casteist politics at its Panchmarhi conclave also sided with
the RJD. He said the BJP would expose the parties which supported the RJD
Government.

Opposition demands probe into corruption charges against
SharifIslamabad - Pakistani Opposition parties today demanded that
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif be investigated following a report in a British
newspaper which accused him of tax evasion and siphoning millions of dollars
from his country’s coffers into personal bank accounts. ``Mr Sharif is
corrupt and should be thrown out of power,’’ Mr Munawar Hasan, general
secretary of the opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami, told AP. "After this
report the Prime Minister should resign, otherwise people will throw him
out and take back every penny he plundered from the national wealth,’’
he said. The Observer, a British Sunday newspaper, had quoted a report
prepared by the Pakistani Federal Investigation agency which said the Sharif
family was involved in tax evasion, loan defaults and "phantom’’ bank accounts.

BJP calls for national debate on Article 356New Delhi - BJP advocated a nationwide debate on whether Article
356 of the Constitution should be retained. Making this proposal here,
party general secretary M. Venkaiah Naidu, MP, however, declined to comment
on the President’s communique seeking fresh details on the Cabinet recommendation
seeking imposition of President’s rule in Bihar. He accused Opposition
parties hailing the President’s action of "adopting double standards’’.
Replying to questions, Mr Naidu hinted at "further action’’ by the Government.
He, however, wanted newsmen to "wait and watch’’. He reiterated the party’s
stand that this controversial Article has "no meaning’’ if it cannot be
used in case of a "constitutional breakdown’’. "People of Bihar will suffer
for non-application of Article 356 in Bihar,’’ he said. "The Laloo-Rabri
Government has no moral and constitutional right to continue in office.’’
The people have to face this anarchic government for some time to come,
he added.

Projects affected by political interference - HegdeBangalore - Political and bureaucratic interferences have bogged
down projects worth Rs 1,30,000 crores leading to heavy outgo of amount
as interest besides the country getting a ‘black tag’ in the international
arena, Union Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde said today. Inaugurating
the first-ever cargo centre for perishables in the south, built at a cost
of Rs 2.50 crores at the airport here, he said Non Resident Indians and
foreign investors were losing faith in India. If the ‘black cloud’ was
to clear, it was necessary for the Government and officials to ensure completion
of projects within the stipulated time. Mr Hegde, while praising Mysore
Sales International Limited and Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority for their spontaneous response and completing
the project within six months, said thousands of crores of rupees were
being paid as interest due to the delay and keeping the projects on the
pipeline.

Badal for seat-sharing with BJP for Assembly pollMoga - Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal (Badal) president
Parkash Singh Badal has said that his party would enter into a seat-sharing
agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming Assembly
elections in Delhi and Rajasthan. Talking to reporters here last evening,
Mr Badal said negotiations were on with its coalition partner at the Centre.
"During the last elections we had made a similar request (on seat-sharing)
which did not work out. This time we are hopeful that something positive
will happen,’’ he said. Delhi and Rajasthan are among four states that
go to polls on November 25. When asked about the number of seats his party
would demand in the two states, the Akali leader said: "We are yet to finalise
a poll strategy.’’

September 29, 1998

Senators not for lifting sanctions against IndiaWashington - U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman
Jesse Helms and two other Senators have opposed the idea of lifting of
sanctions and restrictions on export of high-technology goods to India
in return for New Delhi’s acceptance of several arms control measures,
including the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. In joint letter to President
Bill Clinton, they expressed their concern at the recent press reports,
indicating that the administration was negotiating such a deal with India.
They drew attention to a wire service report saying that the administration
was in the closing stages of negotiating a deal under which the U.S. would
make these concessions, and in return India would agree to sign the CTBT,
accept some unspecified restraints on fissile material production, "commit
itself not to export any sensitive nuclear or missile technology and agree
not to openly deploy nuclear weapons, although it could make and store
them.’’

Iran gears up for another war games on Afghan borderTehran - Iran stepped up its war rhetoric by sending more troops
along its eastern border with Afghanistan, the official Islamic republic
news agency reported yesterday. Some 200,000 troops are to take part in
war games, codenamed Zulfaqar 2, which are to begin within the next few
days, the agency said. It said Iran will use Katyusha rockets for the first
in the manoeuvres which are to take place in a 50,000-square km area. The
Taliban religious army, which rules about 90 per cent of Afghanistan, says
it has moved 20,000 troops to the border in response to Iran’s war games.
The manoeuvres come amid rising tensions between Iran and Afghanistan’s
Taliban militia over last month’s slaying of nine Iranian diplomats and
a journalist by Taliban fighters.

Chinese courts execute eightBeijing - Courts in two Chinese cities have executed eight people,
one of them a 19-year-old who stole 60 yuan (seven dollars), a human rights
group reported today. After a mass sentencing rally yesterday, the Nine
Dragon hill district court in south-western Chongqing city ordered seven
people immediately taken out and shot, the Hong Kong-based Information
Centre of Human Rights and Democratic Movement reported. The group said
it learned of the executions from Xu Wanping, a dissident who spent eight
years in prison for taking part in the 1989 democracy movement. Mr Xu reportedly
said all district courts in Chongqing held rallies yesterday and about
50 people may have been executed. The information centre provided no other
details about the 19-year-old and did not mention the crimes of the other
six executed.

BJP asks President to break his ‘silence’ on BiharPatna - Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Kailashpati
Mishra today said President K.R.Narayanan’s "silence’’ over the situation
prevailing in Bihar could lead to civil war in the State. Talking to newsmen
here today, Mr Mishra urged the President to make public the report of
State Governor S S Bhandari on the Bihar situation. Reiterating that there
was a total constitutional breakdown in the State and demanding invocation
of Article 356, Mr Mishra said the Governor had discharged his duty by
submitting the report to the President. He said the Governor was being
abused inside and outside the State Assembly by the ruling Rashtriya Janata
Dal, the effigies of the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and the State
Governor were being burnt, and the Assembly adopted a resolution condemning
the Governor for recommending imposition of President’s rule. Mr Mishra
sought to know from the President whether it was not his responsibility
to provide protection to the Governor.

Congress hits out at VHP, Bajrang DalNew Delhi - Indian Congress has charged the Vishwa Hindu Parishad
and the Bajrang Dal with launching organised attacks on institutions of
a particular community at different places and said these organisations
were engaged in anti-Hindu activities. Speaking to reporters, Congress
spokespersons Girija Vyas and Ajit Jogi said they were shocked to read
the statement of Vishwa Hindu Parishad central secretary B L Sharma justifying
the atrocities in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh and describing it as
an expression of anger against anti-national forces. They said the Hindu
religion taught respect to other religions, religious tolerance and brotherhood,
but the acts of the RSS-outfits were totally against these teachings. They
wanted the Central and State governments to take action against these elements.

Advani promises probe into attack on missionariesNew Delhi - India’s Union Home Minister L K Advani during a
meeting with the Archbishop of Delhi and other senior bishops here
today promised a high-level inquiry into the recent attacks on missionaries
and institutions, including the rape of nuns in Jhabua district in Madhya
Pradesh. Auxiliary Bishop of Delhi, Vincent Concessao, said at a press
conference that Mr Advani expressed sympathy with the community and promised
to do something about the recurrent attacks on institutions of a particular
community. Mr John Dayal of the All-India Catholic Union, who was a part
of the delegation, said Mr Advani directed Home Secretary B P Singh to
liaise with the State Governments to conduct a high-level inquiry into
certain incidents mentioned in a memorandum presented to him by Archbishop
of Delhi and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Alan
De Lastic.

BJP disagrees with VHP remarks on rape incidentNew Delhi - The Bharatiya Janata Party today distanced itself
from the statements of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other organisations by
stating that the party condemned the incident of rape of nuns in Jhabua
and accused the State Government of trying to shield ‘Congressmen’ involved
in the crime. BJP spokesman Venkaiah Naidu told newsmen that the BJP did
not agree with the statement of VHP which stated that the rape incident
was an offshoot of conversions. He said Congress should not forget the
misdeeds of its partymen against women and cited the incidents of Sarla
Mishra and Nina Sahni where the perpetrators of the crime belonged to Congress.
"They certainly can’t make allegations against BJP and should ask the Congress-ruled
Madhya Pradesh Government to take action against the culprits who were
known supporters of the party.

Extension to Puran Chand Dogra challengedChandigarh - The Additional Director-General of Punjab
Police (Security), Sarabjit Singh has filed a petition in the Central
Administrative Tribunal contesting the six months’ extension in service
given to Puran Chand Dogra, Director-General of Punjab Police. Mr Dogra
had retired from service on attaining superannuation on April 30. The state
government had granted him six months’ extension till September 30. Since
extension beyond six months was not within the competence of the state
government, it had referred the case to the Centre for further extension
beginning September 30. The Central Government accepted the recommendations
of the state government and okayed the extension in service for a further
period of six months.

Wadala, Rode, Mann may forge front for Adampur byelectionAmritsar - Even as the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by
Simranjit Singh Mann has decided to field its candidate for the byelection
of Adampur scheduled to be held on November 25, efforts are afoot to forge
an alliance of the SAD (Democratic) led by Kuldip Singh Wadala, SAD (Panthic),
Jasbir Singh Rode, the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) and SAD (Mann)
against the ruling SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress. Although the efforts
of forging a political alliance of the above parties could not bear fruit
in the previous elections, yet these are considered like-minded parties
in political circles. Apart from this, the political circumstances ma force
these parties to review the political algebra in the prevailing conditions.
Bhai Ram Singh, general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar),
has announced that his party would field a strong candidate in the forthcoming
byelection of Adampur which was necessitated with the death of SAD MLA
Sarup Singh. Bhai Ram Singh said the SAD (Badal) had no moral right to
field its candidate as it had lost the faith of the electorate. Since most
of the promises made by the SAD-BJP before the previous general election
had not yet been realised, the electorates was feeling disillusioned, he
added. It is pertinent to mention here that Mulayam Singh Yadav, president
of the RLM, was received by Kuldip Singh Wadala, president SAD (Democratic)
at Jalandhar railway station on his way to Amritsar and Yadav, too, had
expressed willingness to share the political stage with Wadala. On
the other hand, the Congress, BSP, CPI and CPM have been staging common
protest rallies at the district level against the rise in prices of different
commodities and non-fulfilment of the promises made by SAD-BJP to the electorate.
Efforts are afoot to forge the political alliance among these parties to
defeat the ruling SAD-BJP alliance in the byelections. The issues which
would dominate the byelection include the unprecedented price rise of various
commodities, hike in power tariff and bus fares, non-abolition of octroi
posts, corruption etc.

SAD-BJP have no differences - BJP leaderHoshiarpur - Balramji Dass Tandon, Minister for Local Bodies,
Punjab, said there were no differences between the SAD and the BJP on the
issue of Udham Singh Nagar. Talking to mediapersons here, he hoped that
this issue would be settled amicably. Referring to the Adampur constituency
byelection, he said the SAD and the BJP would work jointly for the success
of the SAD nominee. He added that the controversy relating to the Sikh
high priests would not disturb peace in the state. He directed the field
staff of the Municipal Corporations and the Municipal Councils in the state
to display identity cards while on duty. All officers of these departments
in future would have to stay at their places of posting. He said the government
was ready to privatise sanitation in the state. Income of all Municipal
Corporations and Municipal Councils was likely to be increased by 30 to
35 per cent during the year, he added. Referring to the pen-down strike
by the Punjab Ministerial Services Union, he said it was totally illegal.
The state government employees were already drawing maximum salaries as
compared to that of the neighbouring states, he said, and appealed to the
employees of the Ministerial services to end the agitation.

September 30, 1998

Bill Clinton visit to South Asia postponedWashington D.C. - US President Bill Clinton has postponed his
planned visit to South Asian countries—India, Pakistan and Bangladesh—in
November this year. In a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on
Wednesday, Clinton expressed regret that he and his wife were unable to
accept her invitation to visit Bangladesh in November. US ambassador to
Bangladesh, John Holzman, disclosed this at a press briefing at the national
press club. In his letter, President Clinton made it clear that the trip
to South Asia was postponed because consultations with India and Pakistan
on non-proliferation issues had not reached a stage where a visit to the
region could be productive. Clinton, however, said progress was being made
in the talks and hoped the situation would permit him to schedule a visit
to South Asia next year. At the briefing, Holzman disagreed with a suggestion
that the Monica Lewinsky affair and elections to the Congress, scheduled
for November, prompted the decision to put off the visit. Earlier, White
House press secretary Mike McCurry, speaking to reporters about reports
that Clinton would drop India and Pakistan from his itinerary, said: "I
don’t have any reason to dispute that.’’ McCurry said Clinton would go
ahead with his original plan to attend an Asia pacific economic conference
meeting in Malaysia in mid-November. Jimmy Carter was the last American
President to visit India in 1978. A planned trip by President George Bush
was cancelled because of the Gulf war.

Akali Dal totally opposed to President’s rule in BiharNew Delhi - Akali Dal [Badal], coalition constituent of
the A B Vajpayee government, on Wednesday made it clear that it is totally
opposed to imposition of President’s rule in Bihar under any circumstances,
ruling out any compromise on use of Article 356 of the Constitution for
the purpose. "Our position is clear. We are opposed to use of Article 356
under any circumstances. We have already taken a stand on the issue and
we will stand by it," Union minister and senior Akali Dal leader Surjit
Singh Barnala said. Barnala was replying to questions on the Akali
Dal’s stand if the Union Cabinet decided to send the recommendation for
dismissing the Rabri Devi government to President K R Narayanan once again.
Barnala said no decision has been taken with regard to sending the recommendation
back to the President and that "we are all awaiting the arrival of Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee". The Union Cabinet is expected to meet and
possibly consider the issue, soon after his return from a eight-day visit
to the United States and France. Barnala parried questions on whether his
party subscribed to the BJP’s repeated assertions that Bihar is a fit case
for imposing President’s rule. He also declined to answer questions whether
he was satisfied with the law and order situation in the state saying his
party would not like to go into these specifics.

BJP Government has no plan to review Cabinet decision
on Bihar - AdvaniNew Delhi - Indian Home minister L K Advani said on Wednesday
that the government has at present no plan to review the Cabinet decision
on Bihar. His assertion comes in the wake of reports appearing in a section
of the press that the government was thinking of approaching the President
once again for dismissal of the Bihar government. "There is no move at
present to review the Cabinet decision on Bihar taken on Friday last,’’
he said. The Cabinet had decided to close the issue after President K R
Narayanan returned its recommendation for dismissal of the state government
and keep the Assembly in suspended animation. Referring to his meeting
with the President, Advani said it was a ‘’courtesy call’’.

Foreign missionaries should leave the India -
VHPNew Delhi - The Hindu Fanatic Group - Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) on Wednesday said that the foreign missionaries should quit the country.
The VHP said that these missionaries were resented since they were converting
Hindus. The VHP, however, strongly condemned the rape of nuns in Jhabua
district of Madhya Pradesh and clarified that it never sought to justify
the ‘’dastardly act.’’ VHP general secretary Giri Raj Kishore said that
the assault of the nuns was ‘’purely a criminal case’’ which was being
given ‘’communal projection.’’ Referring to the statement of VHP leader
B L Sharma on the incident, Giri Raj Kishore said the former MP from east
Delhi was perhaps not aware of the facts of the assault. He, however, maintained
that Sharma did not justify the criminal attack. On the allegations against
the VHP, he said the parishad had no presence in Jhabua which had predominantly
Christian population. Even the bishops’ delegation which met Home minister
L K Advani on Tuesday did not blame the Hindus or the VHP, he said. On
the reported statement of Madhya Pradesh director general of police that
the nuns had no business to stay alone, he said it was the duty of police
to provide security to every citizen. The assault was due to the dereliction
of duty on the part of police, Giri Raj Kishore said. He said these missionaries
were widespread in north east and they will not be tolerated anymore. Referring
to recent communal incidents in Gujarat, he alleged that media was projecting
only one side of these. For instance, it was never clarified that the incidents
in Vadodra were a sequel to the disfiguring of a hanuman idol, he said.

Iran denies links with Bin LadenTehran - Iran denied it had any ties with Saudi dissident Osama
Bin Laden who is accused of ordering the bomb attacks on American embassies
in Nairobi and Tanzania last month. Iran’s permanent mission at the United
Nations issued a statement saying the U.S. government had lodged a complaint
at a New York court accusing Iran of having "concluded an accord with Bin
Laden’s group to organise anti-American activities." The mission said Washington
has charged that one Mahmoud Salem, presently serving time in Germany,
had links with Iran and Bin Laden, the official Iranian news agency Irna
reported, reports AFP. The agency did not reveal Salem’s nationality
or the reason he was jailed. The mission said it "categorically denies
any link, cooperation or accord with Bin Laden and those close to him."
Iran "does not tolerate terrorists using its soil for planning, launching
or financing terrorist operations against other countries," it said. Bin
Laden is now in exile in Afghanistan, sheltered by the extremist Sunni
Muslim Taliban militia, which is opposed by Shiite Muslim Iran.

Two sisters raped, sister-in-law stripped amid Dogra’s
extension controversyAjnala (Amritsar) - While Punjab Police chief Puran Chand Dogra
is fighting tooth and nail against the petition challenging extension given
to him by the State and Central governments, a minor girl, aged 15,
and her elder sister (22) have been raped while their sister-in-law was
stripped naked at Mukam village in this subdivision by the three accused
who are in their early twenties. Before committing the heinous crime the
three youths incapacitated their brother and father by seriously injuring
them. According to Mr Harpreet Singh Sidhu, district police chief, Majitha,
the three culprits knew the rape victims personally. That is why one of
the victims identified all the three in the presence of the police. The
incident occurred at midnight when the victims were sleeping. After entering
their house, they allegedly attacked the brother and father of the girls.
Their sister-in-law was stripped naked so that she would not seek help
from the villagers. Mr Sidhu further said that though one of the victims
who lodged the FIR did not mention the names of the culprits, her sister
(another rape victim) identified them in the presence of the police. The
assailants also injured the girls before fleeing. The three were arrested
as blood spots of human beings were seen on their clothes. The three accused
have been identified as Baljinder Singh alias Balla, Baldev Singh alias
Raju and Rawel Singh, all residents of Kamalpura village, which is only
about 2 km from Mukam, the site of the crime. The two rape victims, their
sister-in-law, brother and father have been rushed to Guru Nanak Hospital.

Dogra case: Punjab reply sought in a weekChandigarh - The local Bench of the Central Administrative
Tribunal today directed the Union and the Punjab Governments to file a
reply within seven days to an application moved jointly by three Additional
Directors-General of Punjab Police assailing the second six month extension
in service granted to Mr P.C. Dogra, Director-General of Police. The three
ADGPs are Mr Sarabjit Singh, Mr Jarnail Singh Chahal and Mr Mehal Singh
Bhullar. Justice R.K. Nehru and Mr S.C. Vaish, vice chairman and administrative
member of the tribunal, who delivered this order, adjourned the case to
October 16. While Mr Mehant Gupta, Additional Advocate-General, received
notice for the Punjab Government, Mr Surya Kant Sharma accepted the notice
on Mr Dogra’s behalf. The applicants stated that all of them were in the
rank of ADGPs and were within the zone of consideration for promotion to
the post of DGP. They added that earlier Mr Dogra had moved an application
in the tribunal for the change of his date of birth at the fag end of his
career. The tribunal had dismissed this application with the observation:
"Finding that the service career was coming to end, he started the construction
of an edifice for seeking a change in the date of birth in his record.
We have examined his service record and we, with a heavy heart, bring it
on record that the stand taken by the applicant through his counsel is
not only factually incorrect but a deliberate act of misrepresentation...."
The applicants stated that when Mr Dogra failed to get his date of birth
changed, the Punjab Government granted him an extension in service for
six months from April 1, 1998. Even before Mr Dogra retired, the Punjab
Government moved a proposal to the Union Government for a further extension
beyond September 30. This proposal was rejected by the Centre. They told
the court that notwithstanding the Centre’s rejection of the proposal the
Punjab Government moved another application for the grant of an extension
in service to Mr Dogra beyond September 30. They claimed that in
the meantime, the Union Government amended the all-India service rules
which laid down that an officer shall retire with effect from the afternoon
of the last day of the month in which he attains the age of 60 years. The
rules further laid down that a member of the service "dealing with Budget
work or working as a full-time member of a committee which is to be wound
up within a short period may be given extension in service for a period
not exceeding three months in public interest, with the prior approval
of the Central Government".

Ministerial staff block trafficBathinda - Hundreds of activists of different ministerial
staff unions today blocked traffic for about an hour near the bus stand
here in support of their demands. Despite the threat of no work, no pay
by the Punjab Government, the activists today observed a complete strike
and government offices wore a deserted look. Earlier, addressing a rally,
the leader of Common Action Committee, Mr Harminder Singh Dhillon, alleged
that the authorities concerned were deliberately delaying the implementation
of their "accepted" demands. Mr Kamal Krishan Aggarwal, general secretary,
DCC, said the state government was suffering heavy losses due to no sale
of stamp papers. He said people had started buying the stamp papers from
Sirsa district of Haryana.

Pleas on People’s Commission allowedChandigarh - The Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed the applications
moved by Mr S.S. Sood, a Jalandhar-based advocate, and Mr Justice Ajit
Singh Bains and Mr R.N. Kumar, Chairman and Convener of the Committee for
Coordination on Disappearance in Punjab, respectively, for becoming interveners
in a public interest petition filed by Mr Sudershan Goel contesting the
constitution of the People’s Commission. This order was delivered by Mr
Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Iqbal Singh before whom the petition
came up for hearing. The Bench adjourned the case to October 28. The adjournment
was given because service of the notice was not effected on the respondents.
The People’s Commission was constituted by Justice Kuldip Singh, a former
Supreme Court Judge, with Justice D.S. Tewatia, a former Chief Justice
of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as Chairman. The petitioner stated
that the People’s Commission sat in judgements passed by courts of competent
jurisdiction in cases of alleged atrocities during the militancy. This
was an attempt to set up a parallel judicial system which might subvert
the judicial process as well as cause a serious threat to the country’s
survival. He added that the state of Punjab remained a terrorist affected
area for more than a decade and the commission’s actions in summoning police
officials and other state officials and holding them guilty would have
a demoralising effect not only on such officials but also on society at
large.

AISSF plea to disband WSCChandigarh - All-India Sikh Students Federation today sought
disbanding of the controversial World Sikh Council. Addressing a press
conference here Harminder Singh Gill, president of the federation, said
the council had caused more harm than serving the cause of the Sikh Panth.
He said the SGPC was capable of fulfilling all responsibilities with regard
to the Khalsa Panth and that there was no need for a new setup. He also
appealed to Gurcharan Singh Tohra, SGPC chief, to resolve the ongoing row
among the three Sikh head priests. He urged Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab
Chief Minister, to pay attention to solving the unemployment problem in
the state. He said resentment among youth was growing due to unemployment.